This recording discusses the number of medical implants that continue to expand, and now may include orthopedic, cardiac, endovascular, gynecologic, dental, medication pumps, neurostimulators, and related devices. Implant components consist of metals, plastics, adhesives and other substances. Cutaneous, allergic, and systemic reactions to these devices may occur, but are challenging to evaluate and to treat. The true incidence and prevalence of such reactions are unknown, although reported rates of complications from implants range from <1% to 5%. Important implant allergy issues include differences in cutaneous and extra-cutaneous reactions; the roles of metal and plastic debris; pre- and post- procedure patch testing and lymphocyte transformation tests; clinical criteria to diagnose implant allergy; and management of patients with allergic reactions

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™: 1.00CE 1.00

Credit must be claimed by June 30, 2017. Any credit request on or after July 1, 2017 will be subject to an administrative fee.

System requirements: Two most recent versions of Internet Explorer, Safari, Google Chrome, and Firefox

Target Audience

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:1. Discuss similarities and differences in allergic reactions to orthopedic, cardiac, endovascular, dental, gynecologic and other medical devices2. Identify clinical criteria to diagnose cutaneous and extra-cutaneous reactions to implants3. Discuss when patch testing and lymphocyte transformation testing are indicated and which allergens to test